“The EU says Ethiopia must grant full humanitarian access to Tigray before it will restore €88 million of suspended budget support.”
Source: Devex
By Vince Chadwick // 02 February 2021
With the European Union withholding payments to the Ethiopian government over the conflict in its Tigray region, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed spoke to one of the bloc’s most influential national leaders Tuesday on improving bilateral ties.
“Good phone call with Chancellor Angela Merkel on national and regional issues,” Abiy tweeted, “including #COVID19 as well as strengthening development and economic cooperation between #Ethiopia and Germany.”
According to a German government readout of the call, the pair discussed “the domestic political situation in Ethiopia, regional security issues and questions relating to bilateral cooperation.”
“The Chancellor emphasized the importance of a peaceful solution to the conflict in the Tigray region and the humanitarian care of the people affected in the conflict area,” the readout continued. “Humanitarian aid organizations and the media must be given free access to the Tigray region.”
In December, the European Commission decided to postpone over €88 million in budget support to Ethiopia as a show of opprobrium at the spiraling conflict in the country’s North.
A commission spokesperson told Devex that other kinds of assistance, such as humanitarian aid and development programs through NGOs, are continuing but that payments to the government will only be unblocked once certain conditions are met, in particular “granting full humanitarian access for relief actors to reach people in need in all affected areas, in line with International Humanitarian Law.”
Officials in Brussels were hoping that EU member states would follow suit. But Berlin has taken a different stance.
Devex asked Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, or BMZ, last month whether it agrees with the commission that assistance to the Ethiopian government should be postponed until the situation on the ground improves.
“The Team Europe approach in the context of the pandemic will have a much stronger impact on the ground in Ethiopia if there is full alignment with Member States.”
— A European Commission spokesperson
“The Ethiopian government remains committed to its reform process, even since the start of the conflict in Tigray,” a spokesperson responded by email. “To facilitate the structural and sustainable implementation of this process over the medium and long term, Germany is willing to continue supporting Ethiopia. The German government is therefore continuing its ongoing bilateral development cooperation programmes.”
“Decisions over budget support are for each Member State,” a commission spokesperson emailed Devex, “but the Team Europe approach in the context of the pandemic will have a much stronger impact on the ground in Ethiopia if there is full alignment with Member States.”
EU to dispatch humanitarian negotiator to Ethiopia after aid suspension
The EU says Ethiopia must grant full humanitarian access to Tigray before it will restore €88 million of suspended budget support.
The BMZ spokesperson wrote that Germany is acting in line with the EU and other donors, however, as Berlin has its own conditions to be met before further funds are disbursed, including holding parliamentary elections — expected in June — and beginning a “credible political process” aimed at resolving the conflict in Tigray. The final condition is the conclusion of debt rescheduling negotiations between Ethiopia and China.
“Since funds will, in any event, only be disbursed following parliamentary elections, the German government is taking a long-term view,” the spokesperson wrote. “We will coordinate closely with the EU on all further steps.”
At least one EU official, speaking on condition of anonymity, was more skeptical. “This is the issue with EU foreign policy,” the official told Devex. “If you are unified, you can do something. If you’re not, it’s like a shot in your own foot.”
Tuesday, February 02, 2021
- Official German Government record
- Issue year:
- 2021
Chancellor Merkel telephones the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy
The spokesman for the federal government, Steffen Seibert, announced:
Chancellor Angela Merkel called the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali today.
The Chancellor and her Ethiopian counterpart exchanged views on the domestic political situation in Ethiopia, regional security issues and questions relating to bilateral cooperation. The Chancellor underlined the importance of a peaceful solution to the conflict in the Tigray region and humanitarian care for the people affected in the conflict area. Humanitarian aid organizations and the media must be given free access to the Tigray region.
They also talked about the economic and health situation in Ethiopia in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.
#EU asked him to give full access to the millions starving in #tigreregion and admonished him on the atrocities he is doing on the #ethiopian people. Both a geniune humanterian issues!
And he goes to Germany for the millions of dollars he used/intends to propagate his #genocide!
Doesn’t he know #GERMANY is the backbone of #EU?
Doesn’t he know #GERMANY is the home of Angela Dorothea Merkel - the champion of Democracy all over the world?
What a fool! This gives out the essence of what he really he is - an unlettered power blinded autocrate.
An open letter to Germany
As mentioned above, Germany has a different policy than the other #EU members in regard to the on-going war in Ethiopia. I believe Germany has its own reasoning and national security interest for such a policy. For the #EU one , the majority of the Ethiopian people felt warmth in their heart for it was a genuine support for their existance: a support for millions of people dying of starvation: a support for many other Ethiopian Ethnicities fighting for their equality as an Ethiopians. The aid they are holding on conditions is less money for the unjust war effort #abiya is busy with; Here, every penny – regardless of where it came from or what it was intended for – goes for this unjust war. I am sure, Germany is aware that any policy of a western country - different than the #EU one – is an encouragement for #abiy to continue his #genocide towards #tigreoeople. Like wise I am sure, Germany is well aware too that such a wrong policy is opposing the struggle of the majority of Ethiopians ( the long marginalized ethnicities ) for their equality as Ethiopians.
If any one has doubt, let me clarify. The war in #tigreregion is between two and two groups only: A majority of Ethiopians struggling to keep their federal status ( not a perfect one though ) gained during the reign of #eprdf and a single ethnicity – the #amara – ( #abiy is their puppet ) moving earth and sky to return Ethiopia to the heister days of colonilism. That is the A to Z of the cause of Ethiopian problem! Period! All other things are just a noise. Like the madamar nonsense thing - based on a false historical narrative ĺthey are enforcing ( at gun point ) on the people of Ethiopia through the so called Regional Administrators – their creations, as such their puppets. I wonder, why Great Germany is entertaining the idea of siding with this anti-human right group. Could it be Germany is in the group having doubt about the cause of the war? I can’t believe this: Germany is a super power, an efficient one at that, in the top position of world affairs. Missing such simple truth about the cause of this on-going #genocide in #tigreregion looks to me impossible! If by any impossible chance, Germany is in the doubt group, I strongly advice them: “Go to the regions of the past colonized people ( majority of Ethiopians ) and listen to their heart feelings about being Ethiopians “ before you commit the historical stand of the German people.
From the ancient days of the Germanic tribes fighting the Roman Empire colonizers up to this century Germany has been through good and bad times. They were in so many wars to a point that no one else knows more about the end result of war – the lose of precious human lives. There were also times when a single mans’ narrative led the whole country to perpetrate an unimaginable atrocities on other people by the sole basis of their ethnicity: a historical mistake all Germans have a common guilt about up to now. From then on wards, Germany was the champions of Democracy: They were at the forefront of freeing nearly billion people from the chains of the evil soviet system. To make short the many good deeds Germany did for humanity let me mention the unparalleled sacred duty provided to humanity – the acceptance of millions of refugees when all others said no. This philanthropic act of the German people will go into history and will be testimony for the good heart and charity of the German people.
Coming back to our Ethiopian problems, we the long marginalized people ( majority ) of Ethiopians are in danger of extinction. We are faced with the second most powerful military machinery in Africa – led by a single ethnicities’ elites, the #amara - #abiy is a puppet whose strings they hold. #tigreregion is under bombardment, and pre meditated starvation – a naked act of #tigrepeople extinction from the face of the earth. We, the rest majority of Ethiopians – the long marginalized – live in fear under gun-point. We know we are next to #tigrepeople. War is goona come back to us again. What a wonder - coming back to the many we been through - at least we got the experince. We have been colonized by the #amara for over two hundred years. We are not asking retribution for their past crimes. And Ironically, they are moving earth and sky to return us back to our past inferiority . We saw the glimpse of being free after a very long time during the #eprdf era. We can’t loose that by any means up to death! We say to #amara elites, we can live in peace and harmony as equal Ethiopians. We don’t agree with your madamar. We prefer Federalism. We have amble reason for this choice. Suffice to say that we are still intoxicated by the equality right we gained during the #eprdf reign. MY be we are so backward we don’t understand the meaning of liberal. Any way , we don’t agree with your madamar right now. In simpler terms, we don’t dance to your music at all! We are happy to belong to UNITED ETHIOPIA based on a genuine federalism. We offer #amara this and see what they answer: #genocide!!!
The #amara elites got a common problem in the head - Not remembering yesterday. An amnesia of some type. And surely they pased their amnetia down the line - to their common people. It is a fact that: “ If you speak to a random #amara – regardless of gender and age about any thing of Ethiopia 99% the following will happened. He/she will jump up and say one Ethiopia loudly. Good omen; one Ethiopia is good news, but, ironically, they are saying this to hide again behind the name of Ethiopia as usual. The short thing about the situation is we, the long marginalized, do not feel well with this centralised state of yours; where you goona be at the top of the ladder as you are the most educated of all ethiopians – an education usurped during your over two hundred year reign: an educational opportunity the good people of the west bestowed for all Ethiopians!
Dear Germany, you are the beacon of democracy all over the wold. Every thing I have stated above is the truth and truth. If you doubt, just visit the marginalized regions and listen to the heart of the people. It is a very simple proposition; project cost not over few thousand dollars.
But first advice the #amara elite to stop the unjust war – every minute a human life is expiring. Then visit us.
I don’t have doubt. Germany will then support the historical correct side in the spirit of what your beloved chancellor - Angela Merkel – was doing all her life!
Thank you
A #somali-ethiopianc
Tags for above
#tigray #ethiopia #tplf #abiyahmed #tesfagiorgis #biden #eu #england #martinplaut #africa #usa #middleeast #addisstandard #eritereahub #ethiopiainsight #tigrepeople #amhara #somali-ethiopians